50% of Israelis fear they cannot pay for their basic expenses - new survey

From January through May, some 7,369 people made aliyah, compared to 12,645 in 2019 – a decrease of 42%.

By MAAYAN JAFFE-HOFFMAN
38 Olim land in Israel as part of a Nefesh B’Nefesh Group Aliyah Flight (photo credit: NETANEL COHEN)
38 Olim land in Israel as part of a Nefesh B’Nefesh Group Aliyah Flight
(photo credit: NETANEL COHEN)
Close to 50% of Israelis are afraid they will not be able to cover their expenses in the aftermath of the coronavirus crisis, a report by the Central Bureau of Statistics shows.
The report found that the economic situation weighed heaviest on Israelis, with 50% of respondents claiming they feared not being able to pay for their basic expenses during the March and April closure and 46.5% expressing similar sentiments in its immediate aftermath.
The report is based on a survey of Israelis during the period from March through May 2020 and data gathered from a variety of supporting sources. It compares these months to the same months in 2019.
The questions at the height of the crisis were asked between April 26 and May 1. The questions in the initial aftermath of the coronavirus outbreak were asked May 11-14. All people polled were over the age of 21.
The report found that 30% of Israelis said they would find it difficult to cover their expenses in the spring of 2019.
During the period of the closure, more than a quarter (27.3%) of Israeli said they expected their economic situation to worsen in the coming year. When the closure was lifted, that number dropped to 18.3%, which is still twice as much as in 2019 (9.2%).
The report was revealed on the day that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Finance Minister Israel Katz submitted their financial plan to help Israel’s economy during the COVID-19 crisis.
One of the areas that was most impacted by the virus was aliyah. From January through May, 7,369 people made Israel their home, compared with 12,645 in 2019 – a decrease of almost 42%.
In April, 431 people immigrated to Israel – the lowest number in the last 12 months.
In March, some 100,000 Israelis left the country, a number that dropped significantly in April, May and June, when between three million and 16 million people traveled outside the country.
Incoming visitors were fewer: 87,000 in March, less than 1,000 in April, around 2,000 in May and about 6,000 in June.
On March 4, the government announced that foreigners could no longer enter Israel and mandated that any Israeli returning from abroad would be required to enter 14 days of quarantine.
Between March and June 2019, some 2.8 million trips were taken by Israelis abroad and about 1.7 million by visitors coming to Israel.
Despite the situation, fewer Israelis said they felt more depressed because of coronavirus.
According to the survey, 16.2% of Israelis said they felt depressed during the crisis and its immediate aftermath, compared with 24.2% in the same period in 2019.
Finally, the coronavirus crisis – at least the first wave – increased public trust in the government.
In 2019, 41.2% expressed trust in their leaders, compared with around 70% this year – specifically, 71.6% during the closure period and 68.9% immediately thereafter.
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